Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-09-11
TOMS CHANGE.
Sarge In Atlanrn constitutional

and then continued:
"The man what used to live there
was er bachelor. He was one or these
here fellows what was always or trying
to get something er little better than
what he had, and it took him er long
time 10 find out that or fellow better
let well enough alone ; but when he
did find it out he was Just rs big fool
the other way, and you couldn't get
| him to make or change on nothing
he'd hardly change his clothes. That's
why the nigcers say the house 10 hant,,
ed. They hear fuses around there ana
see strange things, aud they say it's
nothing in the world bat old Toms
ghost lingering GROUND, eyeared to
make the change from this world to
the next. I kinder b'leve It's hanted
myself, for know Tom will not make
err change if there's any way to keep
outen it.
Plunkett stopped a moment and then
proceeded:
"Wben the war broke out Tom jlned
er cavalry company and he got him as
easier riding horse as ] ever backed IN
ny life, and went up into Tennessee
somewhere and panced GROUND drink
ing buttormilk and SIGH like till he got
so big and fat that it was er misery for
him TO get erbOut. 1t warnt nothing
but laziness, but Tom he took er no.
ton that the cavalry branch Of the war
was the very hardest part there was. so
nothing would do but he must make er
change. He got what they called er
transfer from the cavalry to heavy artil-
lefy at Savannah, and out he put
for the coast, and he lay GROUND
Savannah ard done what / call nothing,
bnt Tom he begins TO cUss himself for
quitting the cavalry, whore he didn't
have 10 lifting to do, and get ermong
them big guns where er fellow had TO
lift or throw up forts two or three days
in every week, and so he decided to
mako ernother change and get into
what they called the flying artillery,
and then he'd be fixed. lie got er
transfer to er company in Virginia, and
out be put. Tom didn't know nothing
orbout war up to that time, but he
thought he did, and he was in the
highest sort OF spirits when he
marched out through Richmond to
take his place erlong with his company.
| His company was out on er creek called
| Chickahominy, and Tom got such
disgust with the country that he never
would have CT thing to do with chicks
nor eat any hominy afterward, Gaze, he
said, 'he hated everything that sounded
like Chickahominy. / guess it was er
bad place, from all ercounts, and be-
fore Tom got outcn there and through
the seven.days fights he was the CON
plctest done up fellow that ever went
| from Georgia to Virginia.
You ougltcr hecred him cuss his
self" continued Plunkett. "nnd he
went RIGHT 70 work for crnotier change.
lie knowcd he couldn't be worsted
now, 20 Be got cr transfer to the in
fantry and took his place cT,ong with
Stoncvall Jackson's and Longstraets
men. Jcrusllem, yen oughter hsred
! him in about cr week after he got into
| the infantry. Ihar's no Use trying to
TIL YOU what be- thought about hissalf,
but he got so thoroughly down on
changes that thlr's az heap Of folks
what knowed him don't believe he'll
ever make any cXerlion for or changeH
| be knowed be war gwyue straight to
Heaven, and that's Why the house Is
hanted.'
Old man Plunkett took q fresh chew
of Browns tobacco and then continued :
when Lees army was at trede-
ricksbmg, er long in 'G3, the folks in
the settlement fixed up or box of
clothing and got me to take il to the
boys. When ] got to 'em it was win
ter. and the Yankees war right on the
other side of the river and seemed to
be lust waiting on the weather to come
ercIoss and tackle our boys. Tom was
thar and the fellow jined in and divided
up the clothing 50 as to let Tom have
some clean underwear, for he was in er
terrible fix. but when they took the
clean clothes to him and told him to
wash mp and change ms clothing he
looked like he was gwyne to whip out
the whole regiment
Don't you talk 10 me erbout
changing, said Tom, 'and any man
that comes GROUND me talking crbout
changing is in danger Of his life and
he wouldn't have er thing to do with
the clean clothes. The boys talked II
over ormong themselves and decided
10 make him change. | got sorry for
Tom, fore it was through with, though,
for they Just grabbed him and drug him
10 the creek through the snow and
soused HMM and rubbed him with soap
and sand and mud and sich like, till yoL
could nearly see the blood er popping
ont all over him. but be kicked and
worried till he warn't able 10 walk back
np TO the place in the woods where
they had some little old blanket,
stretched to sleep under They totes
bin up and everything passed Oft thu
plight till Just as day begun to break,
We hered or gun-er big cannon-up
the riyerfrom fredericksburg, andthen
we listened and we hered ernother erway
| down the riyer-b-u.m and the bows be
GIN to fly GROUND, and they told mo
that first gun was LOngstreet and that
st cond one was Jackson, letting each
other know that they war all right, and
that meant it or fight, and quicker than
I've been er telling you the bugles war
sounding and the drums war beating,
and YOU could hear the officers every
where saying, Fall in, men, fall in )
and l soon seed that was no place for or
cripple. but the boys told me to stick to
the wagons, and | stuck.
THAT was the first battle / ever
seed" continued old man Plunkett,
land l had some kin in er South Caro-
lima company and / got with 'em down
behind er rock fence that run erlong
with the big road just at the edge Of
togn and at the foot OF what they
called Maryo's Heights-l called it er
long, steep hill-and the top of that
hill was the place the Yankees war
making for. We could hear their
officers making speeches to EN-. and
they lowed: q.
"'Marye's Heights have to be
charged, and We are the boys to DIS 1t. >
"Eut that rock fence was between
them and the top of that hill, and they
never did pass it. | seed er fine-look-
ing officer who they said was General
Tom Cobb, er setting on his horse over
by or little house just ercross the road
and he begin to talk to the soldiers and
sneak TO the colonels, aud then the